IPS displays were once a highly sought but also relatively rare consumer product. Only Dell and Apple have consistently offered consumer displays featuring the technology. Other companies, such as NEC, have built such products with a focus on the office rather than the home.

That’s been changing, however, as the overall price of displays continues to stay low and consumer expectations for display quality are impacted by the use of smartphones and tablets. ASUS and LG now have small affordable IPS displays on the market, and HP is joining the crowd with its updated line of ZR-Series “performance displays.”

HP has announced 20”, 21.5”, 24” and 27” models. The ZR2040w, the smallest of the new entries, will debut with an impressively modest price tag of $189 and resolution of 1600x900. Connectivity options include DisplayPort, DVI and VGA. Available today from HP.com, it is the second least expensive IPS monitor on the market, trailing just behind the $179 ASUS ML239H. This should be an awesome development for enthusiasts in need of a small, high-quality display, particularly if the quality is on par with HP’s larger products.

Resolution of the ZR-Series goes up in size with the 21.5”, 24” and 27” products offering a resolution of 1920x1080, 1920x1200 and 2560x1440, respectively. MSRP is $289, $425 and $729, respectively.

The 22” and 24” displays are updates to models previously available in the United States. The updated versions announced today are similar to their predecessors in both specifications and price, with the exception of the HDMI port, which wasn’t previously included. If it were my money, I’d go for the ZR2440w – the ZR24w was excellent, and the HDMI port on the new model makes it ready for use with a wider variety of video cards.

Also included in this announcement is the HP Compaq LE2202x, a 21.5” LED backlit monitor. While it offers a resolution of 1920x1080, it does not feature IPS technology. It also lacks HDMI, which would seem to indicate that it leans towards use in an office environment.'